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Positive Partnerships Destigmatize HIV
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Photo: USAID/Suzanne Ross
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“My mental health is much
better now because I am not
worried about how to pay for
my medical treatment,” said
one Positive Partner.
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Early on, HIV/AIDS spread predominantly among household breadwinners in their most productive years. Although national resources were rallied toward prevention, little was done to alleviate poverty, as families lost incomes, or as people with HIV were discriminated against in the workplace. Without any
income, HIV-positive people could not afford lifeprolonging
medications and often became financially
dependent on family and friends. This in turn
increased social tension as non-infected people
found they could not bear the burden of supporting
expanding numbers of friends and relatives.
USAID supports the Positive Partnership program,
which works to reduce prejudice and poverty
associated with HIV/AIDS. Positive Partnerships links
people who have HIV with non-infected people,
provides them with vocational training and helps
them start small businesses together with an initial
loan of $300 for each partner. People with HIV also
receive counseling and referrals that enable them to
access antiretroviral therapies. As their medical and
economic situation improves, people with HIV demonstrate to
their partners that they can pursue productive lives and can
contribute financially and socially to their community.
One widow who participated in Positive Partnerships said that
she is grateful not only for her personal gains, but also for being
allied to a cause that can benefit her whole community. She
said that her personal experience shows that people with HIV
who get medical and social support can continue to meet family
obligations and keep contributing to society.
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